A Shocking Dream

Qin Rongchen glanced at the confined inner hall and thought to himself that although he was extremely anxious, he could not offend the Queen Mother's bedroom like this and lose face for her. Shuang'er, you are such a powerful martial artist, how could you be stabbed by an assassin? Could it be... you have a plan? Qin Rongchen thought again, maybe she did have her own plan, otherwise, with her martial arts skills, how could she be easily injured? He walked over to the round table and sat down, saying, "Come, bring me some wine." However, the palace servants did not dare to move until the Queen Mother nodded slightly, and then they hurried to get the wine.

"Uncle, don't worry too much. The Holy Maiden of Yun Country will be safe and sound." Qin Ruoyu walked over, sat down with him and said.

"Why should I worry? It would be better if she died."

The Queen Mother and Qin Ruoyu were both shocked. Why did he suddenly change his mind?

"Only when she dies can I take her away and bury her with her."

A loud "slap" echoed through the quiet palace. Qin Rongchen had barely finished speaking when the Queen Mother slapped him hard on the right side of his face. His face gradually turned red, and the clearly visible five-finger slap mark was enough to show how much force the slapper had used. Everyone present, including Qin Ruoyu, was startled.

"Grandmother..." Qin Ruoyu looked at the Queen Mother in disbelief. How could she... But Qin Rongchen didn't care. He simply closed his eyes and didn't look at the Queen Mother who was burning with anger.

"What? Can't a slap wake you up? Qin Rongchen, do you know what you're doing? For a woman, have you even given up your reputation? Before, it was Lin Bingshuang, and you ran away to live outside the capital without caring about anything, and you were depressed for five years. Now it's Yunshuang, and you've only known her for a few days, and for her, you're actually throwing away your own reputation and life, and even said you'd run away to be buried with her. You're really crazy."

The Queen Mother was truly furious. When she slapped him, she was driven by a surge of rage. However, as soon as the slap landed, she instantly regretted it. She had hoped to have a proper conversation with Qin Rongchen, but when she saw his complete disregard for her, coupled with his words, the Queen Mother's fury was reignited. "For a woman, you've gone mad," the Queen Mother said angrily.

"I'm crazy? Queen Mother, I really don't like to hear what you said. From childhood to adulthood, I have always been well-behaved and docile, extremely cautious in my words and deeds, never made any mistakes, and never made any requests to you and father. And at the beginning, I just fell in love with a woman and just wanted to live an ordinary life with her. But what about you? You caused her country to be destroyed, her family to be ruined, and her parents to die tragically. You used my love for her to destroy the country she fought to protect. You even ordered the killing of all the people in the Snow Country, and even killed her parents and hung their bodies at the city gate for three days. You forced her to death in front of me and made her jump off the thousand-foot cliff. Queen Mother, you say I'm crazy. If I really wanted to be crazy, I would have gone crazy five years ago and jumped off the cliff with her. How could I live in depression until now?" Qin Rongchen's tone was extremely stiff, and every word was like a heavy hammer, making the Queen Mother's mind constantly emerge with everything she had done.

Everyone present, including Qin Ruoyu, was stunned by these words. They had never imagined that the Empress Dowager, once the mother of the nation, could be so cruel. Qin Ruoyu instantly understood why Lin Bingshuang had harbored such deep hatred for the Emperor's uncle that day. If it were him, he would have hated him to the bone as well.

The Queen Mother's face was filled with astonishment. Her right hand, which had slapped Qin Rongchen, continued to tremble, unable to let go. Her face was ashen, and she couldn't utter a word. Her heartbeat was so violent that it seemed to burst out of her chest. Her lips trembled from time to time, and her eyebrows trembled slightly. She slowly closed her eyes, and a trace of pain appeared on her beautiful face.

"Queen Dowager, I remember every word you ever said to me. You said our status was too different and it wasn't suitable, so I gave up my status and position and just wanted to be an ordinary couple with her. But why did you kill her so completely? What did she do wrong? What do you hate about her?" Qin Rongchen poured out all the words that had been pent up in his heart for years. He used to respect the Queen Dowager and never confronted her directly, but now he desperately wanted to know why the Queen Dowager hated Lin Bingshuang.

"Uncle, don't ask anymore. The Empress Dowager might have her own reasons." Qin Ruoyu saw the empress dowager's pale face and hurriedly persuaded Qin Rongchen to shut up.

"I don't hate her. It's her fault that she likes you. Since she is wrong, I will punish her and make her never forget it. Qin Rongchen, I tell you, as long as I am your mother, you can't even think about being with any other woman. I would rather you live alone than be with anyone else." The Queen Mother's tone was firm, leaving no room for rebuttal.

Is this what a mother should say? Everyone present, including Qin Rongchen, was deeply shocked. His face instantly turned as gray. He was as stiff as a stone, his heart as heavy as if filled with cold lead. He seemed to have lost his voice and was numb. He could not speak, and even his brain had stopped thinking.

"Grandmother... what are you saying..." What do you mean? Qin Ruoyu, equally shocked, could hardly believe his ears. This graceful and elegant grandmother in front of him actually didn't want her son to marry, preferring to let him live a lonely life.

"Everyone present heard it. If what we said today gets out, the people will be killed without mercy." The Queen Mother said majestically as she looked at the palace maids and guards kneeling on the ground.

"Yes," they answered in unison, their voices echoing throughout the hall and reverberating in the stunned Qin Rongchen's ears. Qin Rongchen took a few sips from the wine jug, then casually dropped it to the ground. With a clang, the porcelain shattered to the ground, startling the queen mother. She stared at Qin Rongchen's sorrowful and lost expression, her hand trembling slightly as she reached out to touch his face.

"Mother, you are so selfish, so selfish that you would rather leave me alone for the rest of my life than kill everything I love. Mother, oh mother, you truly love your country and your people, and you are the mother of the world." Qin Rongchen's heart was surging like a raging sea. He had never imagined that his mother, the empress dowager who had once been so honored in his heart, would say such heartless words. His heart felt as if it were pierced by countless sharp blades, and the pain instantly spread throughout his body.

He looked at the Queen Mother's resolute expression, his heart filled with sadness and anger. He couldn't understand why his mother could be so selfish, willing to destroy his happiness for her own purposes. His love for Lin Bingshuang was so deep and pure, but in his mother's eyes, it became an unforgivable sin.

The tragedy of five years ago seemed to be replaying before his eyes. He watched helplessly as his beloved was driven to despair by his mother, and now his mother was repeating the same trick. He felt extremely desperate and helpless, as if he were imprisoned in an inescapable cage.

His face turned gray and his body stiffened like a stone, because his heart had been frozen by his mother's words. His mind was in a mess, with all kinds of thoughts intertwined, making it impossible for him to think. But he quickly tried to calm himself down, knowing that anger would not solve the problem.

He secretly vowed in his heart that no matter what, he would protect his love and would not let his mother's tyranny ruin his and Lin Bingshuang's future. He looked at the Queen Mother, his eyes filled with anger and determination. He wanted to use his actions to prove to his mother that he was no longer the child who was at the mercy of others. Now that she had said it, why should he be angry? He said in a calm tone: "Mother, please depose me. I don't want to be a prince. I wish to never set foot in this capital city, so that you can see it and not be bothered by it."

Queen Mother? The Queen Mother was slightly startled when she heard this familiar yet unfamiliar name. She clenched her fingers in her sleeves, and even her nails dug into her palms without feeling any pain. It had been five years, and he had never called her Queen Mother in these five years. Now, this "Queen Mother" actually meant that he wanted her to cripple him so that he could live with another woman? Oh, absolutely impossible. She said, "You want me to cripple you? Fine, as I said just now, as long as I die, you can be with the woman you love. You just need to kill me now, and it will be as you wish. Otherwise, it is absolutely impossible."

"Grandmother, why are you doing this? Don't you want the Emperor's uncle to..."

"Shut up, this is not the time for you to speak." Before Qin Ruoyu could finish his words, the Queen Mother interrupted him.

"Mother, why are you doing this? Rongchen has grown up and has his own ideas. Even if you keep him by your side, he has no intention of staying, so what's the point?"